The Quintessence of Ascension
by BKenScout
Summary: This story will primarily follow Lily Hendricks and her twin sister, Rose, as they fight their way through the one hundred floors of Kayaba Akihiko's Death Game: Sword Art Online. What would you do if you were thrown to almost certain death and the crushing realization that you might actually prefer the liberation of the dangerous hundred-floored castle to the strict life you had?
1. Prologue

_A soft whistle cut through the air, brushing her light-blue hair into her eyes once more. There was a small laugh as she brought a gloved hand up and pushed the strands back to the sides of her face. The girl laughed quietly; she had initially started setting her hair like this as a joke amongst her friends, but she found that she actually liked it and left it alone. Her dark blue eyes turned to the small creek that ran through the middle of the Sunshine Forest on the twentieth floor._

_Over four thousand people were gone from this world already… How could they survive another eighty floors at that rate? Lily Hendricks had been trapped in the floating castle of Aincrad nearly seven months ago, but it had been relieving that the death rate dropped significantly after the first several weeks. The other players in the death-game still knew her as Lily as she had never been one to like using a username over her real one. She was the result of an American father and a Japanese mother, having taken the former's name, and had faced devastation at the moment of Kayaba Akihiko's announcement. However, she had come to actually relish the liberation that came with a new life in Aincrad and, despite her desire to return home and see her loved ones again, she didn't want to forget that reality is what the mind perceives it to be._

_Lily placed a hand on her hip as she felt a chill run down her spine. "Who is it?" She asked sharply, turning her head over her shoulder._

"_Calm down, Lily, it's just me. We have to get back now or the others are going to wonder where we've been," Replied the voice of another girl who looked nearly identical to Lily, except she had straight brown hair that fell to her shoulders with an amethyst barrette fastened to it._

"_Oh, Rose… Don't do that," Lily shook her head with a small laugh and joined her sister, "You know I get jumpy…"_

"_But it's fun," Came the retort and a playful push. "It's Hana here… How many times do I have to remind you before you start to do it?"_

"_As many as you want, I'm not calling you by anything but your name unless there are other people around," Lily waved her off as she typically did, causing Rose to simply roll her eyes and continue their walk back to J eroh, a small city on the floor where they had been staying since its discovery._

* * *

"… now I have finished the official tutorial for _Sword Art Online_. Players – I wish you luck." The voice faded away as the cloak fell and Lily stared ahead of her, dumbfounded. The only administrator in the entire game had appeared before them, informed all ten-thousand players that they were now gambling with their lives, and he vanished once more.

_What?_ No, seriously, _What?_ It was a video game… How could somebody think that this was even a remotely good idea? As Lily's eyes glanced to her twin sister, she could see the girl was on her knees, staring at her empty hands in disbelief. She shook her hand and crouched down, putting a hand on Rose's shoulder, "Hey… C'mon, don't, Rose – we'll be okay," She said; despite the fact that Lily could barely believe her own words, she seemed to convince Rose a little bit. There was a nod and a nearly-defeated motion to stand up. Lily put her arm around the other girl – they just had to get away from the chaos of that crowd.

Lily watched as tiny groups began to stick to one another in the mass of people – all of them looked either experienced and serious or terrified. The former would all quickly leave the town square and then, soon after, the Starting City. The others would either be too afraid to leave that forsaken town or slowly get used to the idea of this game becoming life.

* * *

**_Author's Note:_ Hey, guys – this is my first story I've written alone in a very long time. This account is fresh, as I've matured a lot in my writing and in general since I last published on this site, so I wanted to get in fresh. I really want reviews – I love hearing what everybody has to say and feedback is highly encouraged. If you have questions, comments, or concerns (or you just want to talk) feel free to e-mail me or Private Message me here. My e-mail is on my profile page, I'm always open for whatever you guys need! Please, don't be shy and let me know what you really think. ^^" Can't improve unless you guys tell me what needs improving.**

**For a little bit of background on how much canon there will be here... There will be almost no canon-play. Kirito, Asuna, Silica, Lisbeth, Agil, Klein, and nearly every other character known from Sword Art Online the anime/light novel/manga will be completely non-existent. Heathcliffe will likely still be a part of the story, but I will not have him appear often, simply because I don't like to take a character made by somebody else and use them. Sadly, he/Kayaba Akihiko are both important to Sword Art Online's general progression. Luckily, I won't have to use him/them often. As far as Aincrad is concerned - I plan to use whatever is known about the world (or as much as I know/can find) in order to maintain the setting properly. Questions? Message or e-mail me and I will happily answer them!**

**Please, no flaming or wasting of posts in the review section here. I don't tolerate it. _However_, I still appreciate feedback - positive or negative - just don't be rude. Be grown-up about it, that's all. ^^ Otherwise, I hope to read what you guys have to say or receive some messages at some point throughout the story.**

**Keep climbing,  
**

**~ Scout**


	2. A Guardian Angel

"Rose, let's go, we have to get to a town if we wanna sleep… It's dangerous to stay out too long when it's so late…" Lily grabbed her sister's arm and tugged urgently.

"But… I'm so tired…" The other girl said with a yawn, "Come on, nothing out here is going to hurt us that much… we can take turns on shift."

There was a sigh as Lily shook her head in frustration, "I'm exhausted too, neither of us would be able to keep ourselves awake. We can't be very far at any rate…" The need for sleep was seeping through her voice as the pair's pace was significantly slower than it should have been. "I'm sorry I made us stay out so long…"

"It's alright… And you're right, we have to go," Rose agreed with a shrug.

On her back, Rose had a basic two-handed spear; it was made of a basic starting-level material and bought from an NPC shop in Horunka – the second village on the first floor – before departing for Tolbana. However, Lily had wanted to take their time and get the most out of training that they could during the trip before losing track of time. She wore light metal armour of a basic dark grey iron. On the other hand, Lily wore leather equipment, and equipped to her hip was a cutlass, obtained at the same shop as Rose's spear. She had no shield because she had adopted a rather unique playstyle before Kayaba's announcement which used thrown weapons as well as her primary weapon. She didn't only use them to start a fight, but rather to increase her damage output throughout. She wore a dark purple coat over her leather armour and a belt with several throwing picks.

The pair were very grateful that the roads were far safer than they had to be and it had been several minutes since they were confronted with any kind of challenge apart from keeping themselves on their feet as they pushed forward. Finally, from the top of a small hill, they could see the end of the forest and the short walk to Tolbana from where it let out, and the sisters both seemed to be hit by a small blast of energy as their pace turned to a brisk jog. The downhill slope helped them to move slightly more efficiently, but just as they were coming to the base, there was a growl from the woods and Lily pivoted on her foot, slowing her descent on the dirt path and kicking up dust around her. However, Rose turned her head, lost her footing, and tumbled forward as a wolf burst from the treeline and pinned her down. It had red eyes and black fur with white tendrils patterned onto its legs, curling up around the limbs. However, the most noticeable feature of it was that it was about the size of two people and its teeth were a terrifying white as they lunged forward and bit the girl that was pinned down. There was a scream and Lily froze for a split second in pure terror.

"Rose, no!" She cried out, instantly pulling her curved blade from her hip as her other hand slid to the opposite side of her body and she grabbed a pick from her belt. It shined in blue as it was thrown directly into the wolf's haunch, her cutlass flashing the same colour and sliced over the animal in the _Slant_ sword skill. However, the wolf didn't seem to be affected as the girl began to hack at it with every move that she possibly could, but the health bar was only inching down by small fractions and from the corner of her eye, Lily could see her helpless sister's bar dipping… It began to flash in red as she screamed for help. It didn't help that the two of them were exhausted.

Suddenly, there was a shout from nearby and it struck a chord within the wolf, whose ears perked and its gaze turned. A boy with short white hair and what appeared to be a heavy set of iron armour was standing at the top of the hill. Lily had thought that the Howling skill was almost useless, but it had just saved both Rose's and her lives. There was a large square shield that came forward with a one-handed straight sword as the wolf turned its attention and pounced upward on the hill. The heavily armoured player pivoted slightly, guiding the canine with his shield past him before his blade flashed and slipped into the beast's abdomen. Lily was instantly on her sister, pulling out a potion and handing it over.

"Drink…" She ordered seriously as she kicked the ground beside her and launched toward the fight. A moment later, Rose had joined the two of them in the fight, thrusting her spear forward and redirecting the massive wolf before her whenever it changed targets. Within minutes, it made a shattering sound which echoed throughout the area, a message appearing in front of Lily, announcing her advancement of level. She closed it without a second thought and lunged at her sister, taking her into a rough embrace as she felt her throat constricting, tears prickling at her eyes.

"You and your balance… why can't you just stay on your feet?!" She cried out in a darkly humorous fear. Rose was shaking as she hugged her twin in response, yet she still smiled while a few tears rolled down her cheeks.

"You know that I wasn't the athletic one… It was a player error, I guess," She replied. There was an audible throat-clearing sound nearby as the armoured male slid his blade into its sheath on his back directly beneath his shield.

The girls separated and looked over at him, forgetting that he was there. Lily wiped at her eyes and gave a small laugh, "Oh, I'm so sorry… Pardon my rudeness… Uhm… Thank you so much… You just saved our lives," She sputtered in disbelief, trying to think of how exactly to thank their savior.

The man laughed; his voice was a little bit deeper than expected with a rather average stature, even beneath his large armour, and short, straight white hair that fell down just over a pair of brown-black eyes. He quirked an eyebrow as he crossed his arms, shaking his head, "It's alright… We're an endangered species… players, I mean. You two look beat… I'm Bara. Good to see I wasn't too late. I don't mean to be too crass here, but did that thing drop anything? It was a one-of-a-kind monster I just spent all day hunting down and the pelt is worth a lot of Col to the budding tailor or seamstress – as soon as the supporting skills start to become popular, I mean…"

"Oh, er… Yeah, he did, here," She said, materializing and tossing the pelt to him without a second thought. "That is awfully lucky… Were you on your way to Tolbana?"

"Yeah, I figure you two were too…"

"Mhm, we lost track of time," Lily said with a small blush, rubbing her neck as they all started back on their walk, the girls feeling far safer with a third companion. "Oh, geeze, sorry. I'm Lily and this is Ro-" She started before getting nudged roughly in the side, "Hana. We're sisters… So, you said you spent all day looking for that thing… How'd you know it was out here?"

Bara shrugged and bit the inside of his cheek, not sure if he should really say anything before finally replying, "I was in the beta test. Not to mention that the information brokers have already started to charge outrageously for stuff like that. I didn't want to give them the chance to profit on something before anybody had the money to actually afford it… At least they released that guide book… Er… Anyway, that's a unique style you're using… Not a lot of people thought of that – even through the month of beta testing – using a speed weapon in one hand and kind of working around the game to use thrown weapons at the same time. Hmph… Wish I would have thought of that – eh, too late, I grew attached to the tank build here anyway… So where did you guys come from?"

"Horunka," Lily replied with a small laugh, tossing a pick up and catching it again as it fell a few times.

"Wow… That's quite a trek for one day… Why didn't you guys take that one town at a time?"

"We found a direct path that kind of cut time down from Horunka to Tolbana… We had a good safety margin and we heard that a lot of people had already gone there… We spent the first couple of days getting ourselves righted… We just decided that we couldn't just waste away… anyway, we didn't want to be too far behind to be productive, so we've been pushing – er, _I've_ been pushing us really hard… and that's why we nearly lost everything today…" She shared in slight embarrassment and regret. Rose hadn't said much since they started, apart from a thank you and a shared smile with Bara, but then Lily was always the outspoken of the two.

"Well, that's a respectable perspective… If you guys would like, we can split the price of two rooms at the inn I've been staying at – it's the least I can do for your help there. Maybe we could even party up… I hear that the clearing group found the field boss just yesterday, so they need all the blades they can muster. Bosses always have good drops and excellent experience, if you're interested." He shared as they entered the city.

Lily had to pause for a minute and get a handle on how quickly they had arrived – had they really been so occupied by conversation..? She scolded herself silently; she had to be more attentive – what if something even more dangerous had appeared? The girl shook her head and looked to Bara, "Er… Yeah, we'll think about it and let you know tomorrow. Thanks for telling us…" She said absently, her eyes cutting through the town slowly, "So, where's this inn you were talking about?"

"It's just ahead a little ways, let me send you partial payment for your room," He said, opening his menu as they walked and transferring the Col before pointing out the building. "Take the one next to mine and I'll come check on you guys around eleven tomorrow morning – let you get your sleep."

"Oh, alright… erm… thank you – see you tomorrow morning, then," Lily said with a nod before paying for her and Rose's room and going to the second floor behind Bara before taking the next room over. As the sisters lied down beside one another in the large bed at the center of the room, Rose turned over toward the girl beside her.

"Hey, Lily…" She called quietly from the opposite side of the bed.

"Hm?"

"About today… I'm sorry… I… I'll be more careful…" Lily looked at her sister, perplexed, before giving her a small smile and shaking her head.

"It's okay, Rose… You just need some rest – I shouldn't have pushed us so hard… I'll make sure not to keep us out so late next time. Lessons learned, right? Now you need some sleep, let's go to bed."

Lily called out her menu and set an alarm for herself before turning away from Rose and closing her eyes. Burned to the back of her eyelids was the image of Rose, pinned beneath that massive beast, screaming for aid from a weak girl, left helpless in fear and without the strength she needed. If not for Bara, they would both be dead… What would she have done? After about an hour of arguing with herself, Lily managed to fall asleep, mostly thanks in part to Rose's soft snoring, signaling the girl's slumber.


	3. First Time Around

Lily groaned as an obnoxious ring forced its way to her ears. Nobody else in all of Aincrad would hear the noise, she knew, but after only a few days the alarm had quickly become the sound of her nightmares. She loved mornings; it was waking up that caused her to plead for just five more minutes of peace. But alas, the girl forced herself awake and gently slid from the bed, not wanting to rouse her sister in the process. She had three and a half hours… Had she gotten enough sleep? Likely not, but if she factored in the amount of time it would take to find a hunting spot as well as time to return, she likely had only two and a half hours to train alone. It was dangerous, but she had been doing it nearly every morning since their third day and after the encounter of the night prior, she couldn't let herself fall into a position where her sister may actually get hurt; after all, Rose was the pride of the family.

It was nearly eight when she began – the sun was blaring from the east as wolves and boars alike shattered into crystalline pixels. It was a bittersweet kind of beautiful; in part, it was an almost constant reminder that this was a game that had trapped them – the sound was cold and distant, yet touching how it could simultaneously be so personal. Things in this world did not die away or deteriorate: they simply were or were not compiled by codes and scripts. Furthermore, within minutes, they would typically return anew with no recollection of who had destroyed them in a former life.

She had to be _stronger_. She had to be _faster._ The area was void of other players so early, Tolbana was a sleepy town and nobody was ready to march into that tower and find out how difficult the boss would actually be. Nothing existed save for the monster before her and the experience it would yield.

"What are you doing out here so early?" Came a formidable, familiar voice.

Lily snapped from her focus for just a moment and the activated skill she was using disappeared in a flash as a boar leapt at her and threw her to the ground. After regaining her senses, the girl threw it onto its back beside her and she scrambled to her feet in a single fluid motion, pulling a knife from her belt and instantly throwing it with a powerful golden glow. The beast let out a squeal as rigor mortis instantaneously set in followed by a shatter. Her face was red and her brow was furrowed as she turned to Bara.

"What were you thinking? That was extremely rude," She pointed out, dodging his initial question. "You couldn't wait until I was done?"

"Sorry, sheesh… I didn't think it would be a huge issue – you take care of them so quickly it was hard to catch you between mobs. You were attacking one before you had even finished with the final blow to the last. I find it a little rude myself that you're so blunt with a stranger who was only trying to help you yesterday," He replied, putting his hands up in defense.

"I know, I'm sorry and I am grateful for your help. I just zone out when I train… It's hard to explain. But, why are you up? You were going to get us at eleven, right? It's only ten… I figured I would head back in about fifteen or twenty minutes… How'd you even find me?"

"Well, I wasn't looking for you. I was coming out for my own session – my other hunting spot dried up, and I didn't say _I_ was waking up at eleven… Hey, where's Hana?"

"Asleep. I wanted to let her rest and I've never been big on sleeping; going to bed only means waking up anyway. Well, this is my place, so I guess you'll need to find yourself another," She said coldly before swiping her hand and scrolling through her menu. She hadn't yet spent her attribute points for her last level up and she figured now was as good a time as any.

"What happened? Did I say something..? I mean, yesterday you were-"

"Tired and afraid… and again, I'm thankful that you came to help, but I'm sorry, I'm just a generally focused person… Let's just get back to town now – not going to get much else done and we've got some time before Hana wakes up. I hear Tolbana has one of the best restaurants on this floor, though I skipped a few of the towns… I can pay for a meal, seeing as you paid for most of the rooms last night. Deal?" She proposed, slashing an 'X' through the air before sliding her blade back into the sheath at her hip.

Bara nodded, raising an eyebrow, "Alright. As long as you're not going to cut me off mid-conversation again." The young man gave a small laugh, looking toward the path back to the town.

Lily was less than amused, rolling her eyes; when Rose was absent and Lily was out in the field, there was almost no joking for her. She took after the heavily armoured male, a hand resting on the hilt of her blade until they stepped back inside of a safe zone. She was quickly in her menu and, as they walked, her armour flashed as different clothing materialized in its place; a maroon jacket over a white shirt were coupled with a pair of jeans and combat-style boots. She kept her appearance plain, but wanted to be comfortable.

Bara clearly had no desire to keep his bulky protection on any longer as he shifted into a plain black long coat with jeans and a crimson t-shirt. His long blade remained on his back over the jacket. He pushed a hand through his white hair, letting out a light sigh, "It is way too early…"

"It's past ten, Bara, how is that too early?"

"I'm more of a two in the afternoon kind of guy…" He replied with a wave of his hand, turning to look at her.

"You're going to have a hard time around me then," Lily said with a small, teasing smirk. "I'm an early-riser, big guy," She pointed out, pushing her hands into the pockets of her jacket, lightening up as a sense of security fell over her.

They stepped into a restaurant around the large plaza of the town; a small joint with a sign overhead that would read _The Oldstone Taverne_; it had an openness about it with most of the dining tables resting in an outside area, as though it was created to be enjoyed for lunch. Despite the time, it was still slightly busy and several of the players were in their equipment, clearly preparing for the day's meeting about finally making an assault on the field boss. An NPC appeared and took their orders before Bara relaxed in his chair and rested his eyes on Lily.

"So… How do two girls like you and your sister end up in a place like Aincrad?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow at her.

Lily scowled slightly, her good mood broken a bit by his repeated rudeness. "That's a little bit personal… Don't tanks usually have a party or something..? I mean, you were hunting last night and you didn't have anybody with you today."

"You call me impolite… But yeah, typically somebody like me will have a group, but my friends couldn't get a copy of the game themselves… I figured I could find a guild for myself as the floors go on. I didn't see all of this coming…" He muttered with a shrug. The artificial waiter returned with their orders and placed them on the table; the restaurants were always so quick to deliver food.

"I see… We'll cope, I'm sure of it…" She said, beginning to pick at her meal; they were right, this had been the best food she found since being trapped in _Sword Art Online._ "So, what's this about a meeting today? What is it about?"

"Well, they reached the field boss just yesterday… Apparently the tower is going to be about twenty floors and can only be unlocked by taking him down. I think it's a primate sort of monster… It was during the beta test, anyway. Fairly large, but we'll have more than enough to take him down; It wasn't a difficult one during the beta. Hopefully it won't take long to get to the boss room and we can move on… This first floor will be the hardest," He said thoughtfully, digging into his food as he finished.

The discussion began to fade as the two enjoyed their meal, checked the clock, and headed back to the hotel in order to wake up Rose. She didn't fight very hard as she scrambled from the bed and quickly prepared for going out, a little bit flustered that she had been able to sleep for so long. It gave Lily a small smile that she had been able to let her sister get all the sleep she needed so desperately.


End file.
